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The travel suspension for Australians coming home from India will end as planned on May 15.

Scott Morrison said the first Australians to be able to return from India will be those deemed "most vulnerable" by the Australian High Commission in India after a meeting of National Cabinet today.

The flights will be handled by Australian crews and all passengers will be tested prior to departure. 

READ MORE: Another lockdown unlikely for Sydney

"All of this is about sensibly preventing a third wave of COVID-19 here in Australia, and doing that responsibly while at the same time doing everything we can to sustainably bring Australians home from what is currently (the) most significant hot spot for those travelling into Australia of anywhere in the world right now," Mr Morrison said. 

The prime minister confirmed three flights from India will arrive in Australia once the temporary travel ban ends on May 15. 

All three flights will land in the Northern Territory and passengers will quarantine at the Howard Springs facility. 

Once the ban on travel from India ends on May 15, direct commercial flights will still be paused. 

Instead, the Commonwealth has asked the states to accept additional repatriation flights and the quarantine measures that follow. 

NSW, Victoria and Queensland have responded positively to the PM's invitation. 

"That biosecurity order is working exactly as it was intended to, and that will remain in place with no change until the 15th of May," Mr Morrison told reporters in Newcastle.

"The National Security Committee of Cabinet has confirmed that it will have done its job by then, and as a result we see no need to extend it beyond that date."

"There will be rapid antigen testing put in place for everyone getting on the flights," he said.

"The challenge we have had with brief arrivals from India is the higher incident of infections and the stress that was placing on the quarantine system."

Australian citizens and residents will still need to return a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight home from India.

"Rapid antigen testing is a requirement and a negative test to get on a border flight to Australia," Mr Morrison said.

"I'm sure that's what all Australians would expect."

Mr Morrison confirmed that more than 2.5 million vaccine doses have now been delivered, 80,000 of which were done yesterday. 

More than 10 per cent of the population aged over 16 has received their first dose. 

"GPs are now accounting for well over half of the vaccination is done in Australia. Our GPs are doing an absolute Herculean job," Mr Morrison said. 

When Matt Stevenson's mum suddenly died earlier this week, while devastated, he was at least able to book a last-minute flight to New Zealand for the funeral, which takes place tomorrow.

But the sudden pause of the 'travel bubble' between New Zealand and NSW after just two local COVID-19 cases were recorded has left him and fiancee, Suzy Hansen, angry and upset.

The Sydney couple will now miss the funeral for Pauline Paku, 72, in Tauranga. The funeral would have also allowed Mr Stevenson to reunite with other family members for the first time in a year.

READ MORE: No new cases linked to new Sydney virus outbreak

Ms Hansen, 45, said the pair, feel the move, which was initiated by the New Zealand government, is an "overreaction".

"It just seems like such an over-response," she said.

READ MORE: India travel pause to end

"It's a husband and a wife, it's not like it's somebody he knocked into at Woolies.

"The fact that it's his wife and they've paused the bubble, it just seems over and above what is required.

"Matt's very angry and I am too that just for two cases, that that's the case."

While Matt's mum, who was 72, did have a chronic illness, she passed away suddenly after a few days in hospital.

The couple, who are both from New Zealand, woke up to missed call at 2am in the morning, and were due to fly home today.

Mr Stevenson is now struggling with the fact he cannot take part in the Mauri funeral service with his family, his partner, said.

They will instead stay in Sydney as they would have to do 14-day hotel quarantine if they went to New Zealand.

READ MORE: Wife of man with coronavirus also diagnosed, sparking new restrictions

"He's not good. He's very up and down. Very emotional. It's a rollercoaster," Ms Hansen, said.

"A lot of anger and disbelief and just the overreaction."

The pair, who got engaged earlier this year said while they have each other, they have no other family in Australia to help them cope.

"You might have each other, but you're alone," she said.

The New Zealand trans-Tasman travel bubble, which allowed Aussies to go to the nation without doing 14 days hotel quarantine, started on April 17.

Authorities are in talks about when it might resume, after the pause began at midnight.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand would monitor the situation "very closely".

"We'll continue to monitor it, and obviously we'll make decisions where we need to," Mr Hipkins said.

New Zealanders could already come to Australia without quarantine.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned Australia and New Zealand viewed each other as "another state" and said the scheme could be halted if there were new virus cases.

It was also paused last month when WA reported a handful of cases.

"Anyone in Australia who is travelling between states is prepared for outbreaks and there possibly being disruption, and I can't believe I am saying this, view New Zealand as another state in that way," Ms Ardern told Today in April.

https://twitter.com/covid19nz/status/1390206364484464643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

"If there is a hot spot in one of the states of Australia, we may just act in the same way that another state would, with just limitation of people to come in and out of our borders until that issue is resolved.

"We are trying to make it as simple for travellers as possible. Just prepare that there may be disruptions."

Sydney today didn't record any new cases in relation to the fresh outbreak, which also sparked the reintroduction of some restrictions, including masks in public indoor places and transport.

New Zealand is renowned for its virus eradication policy, while Australia maintains it is trying to suppress the virus.

New Zealand has only had 2582 total cases and 26 deaths.

A total of 26 people in hotel quarantine in the nation currently have the virus, and nobody is in hospital.

Around four percent of the population has had one vaccination, according to Our World in Data.

Australia is in danger of being left with a critical "submarine capability gap" in a future Asia Pacific conflict, a Senator and naval veteran has warned.

Senator Rex Patrick wants the Federal Government to fast-track the upgrade of Australia's ageing Collins class submarines to ensure the country retains an effective submarine force in the near future.

"With tensions rising between Australia and China, it is vital we have effective submarine capability," he told nine.com.au.

READ MORE: The escalating threat of "grey zone" warfare

The Collins vessels are scheduled to end their service by 2026, while the first of Australia's 12 new Attack-class submarines is not expected to be delivered until about 2035 – potentially leaving the Australian Defence Force without submarines for years.

Despite costs blowing out to almost $90 billion, the French-designed vessels – being built under the Future Submarines Program – remain in the design stage.

The Federal Government said about 4000 jobs in Adelaide will be involved in building the vessels.

But some security experts have expressed concern that the 2035 delivery date may be on the optimistic side.

Mr Patrick, a former Royal Australian Navy submariner, says the underwater craft are essential for Australia's defences and provide a deterrent against aggressors.

READ MORE: China freezes high-level economic dialogue with Australia

"Submarines are an important part of our defence the force … they are one of the few assets that provide some form of invisibility being hard to track by satellite," Mr Patrick said.

"During a rise in tensions, they enable Australia to respond in a conflict."

He said they offer a wide range of military capabilities including, anti-surface warfare, intelligence gathering and deploying special forces.

Other Asia Pacific nations – including China, Taiwan and Singapore – are modernising their submarine fleets.

Mr Patrick says the rising in tensions with China makes it vital to start upgrading the Collins class submarines soon under the life-of-type extension (LOTE) program.

"We definitely need to focus on that," Mr Patrick said.

The planned work would see a major overhaul of the submarines, which were commissioned with the RAN in 1996, ensuring they could remain operational beyond 2026.

Last year's Federal Government Defence Update warned of the increased risk of Australia being involved in an Asia Pacific conflict.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week announced major upgrades to military bases in the Top End – but denied it was a signal to China.

Mr Morrison unveiled the $747 million spending package on four key training bases during his visit to Darwin in the Northern Territory.

The expansion of the defence facilities will enable more joint exercises with forces from the United States – Australia's key ally.